Bastian Schweinsteiger has denied that his description of African football as “wild” and “unorthodox” was racist, insisting he was delivering a footballing analysis and nothing more, as German state broadcaster ARD moved to back him publicly.
The row was sparked before Germany’s Group E match against Ivory Coast in Toronto on 20 June, when Schweinsteiger, working as a pundit for ARD, said Germany needed to be “prepared for it to be unpredictable at times.” He described Ivory Coast as playing “African football”, which he characterised as “a bit unorthodox sometimes, a bit wild, not quite as tactical.”
Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae responded on Thursday, after his side beat Curacao 2-0 to finish runners-up in Group E and advance to the round of 32, saying the comments could be labelled racist.
Schweinsteiger, a 2014 World Cup winner with Germany, pushed back on 26 June through a statement issued via ARD. “I was talking about football, not people,” he said. “This is a football analysis, nothing more, nothing less. I certainly did not intend to offend anyone.”
ARD sports coordinator Axel Balkausky also defended his pundit. “Bastian Schweinsteiger commented on his expectations regarding Ivory Coast’s style of play, summarising his experiences and observations from recent matches,” he said. “The discussion was about a footballing assessment, not the people themselves. I cannot detect any form of racism in his remarks or his choice of words.”
Balkausky went further, suggesting a direct conversation between Schweinsteiger and Fae could resolve the dispute. “If Fae were to speak directly with Bastian, I am certain his suspicions would be dispelled in no time. Perhaps such an opportunity will arise later in the tournament.”
Fae, however, was unsparing in his assessment. “When you know football the way he knows it, then it is odd that he would speak that way, which we could call racist if we were calling a spade a spade,” the Ivory Coast coach told reporters. “But that is the way it is. Nowadays we live in a world where everybody is free to say what they think.”
He also questioned Schweinsteiger’s motives. “He was a worldwide star but has kind of been forgotten a little bit, so he is trying to create a buzz. Good for him, if that is what he thinks. He is free to do so. But we will move forward and try to ignore that.”
Fae was equally firm in defending the quality of African football. “I cannot change his perspective or the way he talks. But all I can do is show on the pitch that Africa is not just the physical game. We are very technical as well, and very tactical.”
